2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Takes on the Nurburgring [Udpated: Price]

After ten hours and 1,000 miles of Nurburgring track testing, a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 driven by Adam Dean lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife in an astonishingly quick 7:37.47. Yeah, 7:37.47… That’s quick. And, it was in the wet. The track was slick, and by the end of the run, it was raining. I know what you’re thinking… “Isn’t a Chevy Camaro Z28 a muscle car? And, aren’t muscle cars rubbish on any track other than a drag strip?”

Well, the answer to the first question is: Yes. The answer to the second is: Not anymore. That’s kinda the point of the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z28, to bring serious track tuning and competence in the twisties to one of the most iconic pony car badges. Almost exactly two years ago in October of 2011, the 580 horse Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 lapped the ‘ring in 7:41.21 seconds, about 4 seconds slower than the less powerful 505 horse Camaro Z28.

But power isn’t everything. Granted the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z28’s 505 horse, 481 pound-feet, 7.0 liter LS7 V8 isn’t exactly feeble, the real brilliance of the Z28 are the chassis revisions leading to a 1.08 g acceleration in the corners, giant Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes (good for 1.5 g of deceleration), and a 300 pound reduction in curb weight. Chevy worked hard to create a serious track car. Air conditioning is even only available as an option.

So, all of that tweaking, fiddling, tuning and boosting to a Chevrolet Camaro gets you a 7:37.47 lap time around the Nurburgring. As a frame of reference, there are only thirty or so production cars with faster Nurburgring lap times than the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z28. And, they have names like Porsche 918 Spyder, Porsche Carrera GT, Radical SR8, Dodge Viper ACR, Nissan GT-R, Pagani Zonda F, Corvette ZR1 and Koenigsegg CCX.

Press Release

2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Press Release

Z/28 undergoes 10 hours or 1,000 miles of testing at Nordschleife

Fastest lap completed in 7:37.40 in rainy conditions

DETROIT – Chevrolet today revealed a video of the all-new, 2014 Camaro Z/28 lapping Germany’s challenging Nürburgring road course in 7:37.40, a time comparable with some of the world’s most prestigious sports cars.

The Z/28’s lap is four seconds faster than the Camaro ZL1, and beats published times for the Porsche 911 Carrera S and the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640. The Z/28’s lap was completed on less-than-ideal conditions, with damp pavement and pouring rain near the end of the run.

“One of the challenges of testing at the ‘Ring is that the track is so long that conditions can change radically in a single lap,” said Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer. “Adam Dean, the development driver for Z/28, did a heroic job driving in deteriorating conditions. Based on telemetry data from our test sessions, we know the Z/28 can be as much as six seconds faster on a dry track.”

In terms of lap times, the Z/28’s improved speed came from three areas:

Increased grip: The Z/28 is capable of 1.08 g in cornering acceleration, due to comprehensive chassis revisions

The heart of the Z/28 is the 7.0L LS7 engine. The LS7 uses lightweight, racing-proven, high-performance components, such as titanium intake valves and connecting rods, CNC-ported aluminum cylinder heads and a forged-steel crankshaft to help produce an SAE-certified 505 horsepower (376 kW) and 481 lb-ft of torque (652 Nm). Air-conditioning is available, but only as an option.

A close-ratio six-speed manual transmission is the only transmission offered and power is distributed to the rear wheels via a limited-slip differential featuring a helical gear set, rather than traditional clutch packs. The new design enables the driver to apply more power and get through corners faster, by making the most of the capability of individual-wheel antilock brake function during corner entry braking, mid-corner speed and corner-exit traction.

The team spent a week at the Nürburgring as part of the Z/28’s performance-validation regimen, accumulating a total of 10 hours and nearly 1,000 miles on the track. Each lap took less than eight minutes to complete, despite having to overtake slower traffic at times. These hours are part of the grueling 24-Hour Test, which simulates a full year’s worth of track use of track days or amateur-level competition at the hands of an owner.

“Passing the 24-Hour Test is a requirement for all cars we call ‘track capable,’” said Wayne McConnell, director of global vehicle performance. “The test pushes the car at 10/10ths on the track for a total of 24 hours. During the test the only mechanical changes allowed are replacing the brakes and tires.”

The 24-Hour Test is broken into a number of segments over the course of several days – and even at different tracks – to evaluate performance in precisely measured and carefully monitored increments. Crucially, each valid test lap must be run within 2 percent of a target lap speed to count toward the 24-hour total.

The 24-Hour Test was first used in the early 1990s for the fourth-generation Corvette. Back then, the 300-horsepower Corvette was Chevrolet’s most powerful vehicle, and the 24-Hour Test measured 15 channels of data. Today, the 2014 Camaro LS offers a 323-horsepower V-6, while the Camaro Z/28’s racing-proven LS7 7.0L small-block V-8 delivers 505 horsepower, and the 24-Hour Test measures 130 channels of data.

“Our cars’ performance and capability have advanced tremendously in the past 20 years, which required us to continually improve the parameters of the 24-Hour Test,” said McConnell.

“Today’s test pushes the car harder than the vast majority of customers ever will. As a result, when we call a car ‘track capable’ we are confident that it will perform reliably and consistently for our customers.”

About Chevrolet Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4.5 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.